and the oscar goes to…

From reading the opinion pieces and articles that last night’s Academy Awards ceremony has spawned I’m somewhat perplexed to note that some people are stating that Brokeback Mountain did not win the Best Film Oscar because Hollywood’s not ready to acknowledge a movie about gay issues.

Maybe I’m surprised by this because I think that Crash deserves a best film Oscar. Its subject matter is tricky and dealt with in an brave and uncompromising matter, it’s set in the present, it’s uniformly well-acted, it’s directed with flair and sensitivity, it’s an original screenplay, it’s a low-budget film, and it’s a damn fine piece of writing.

It is a matter of subjective opinion when you have two fine films like Brokeback and Crash as to which one is the better. Both of them deserve a best film Oscar, but one has to win. There are any number of reasons why the Academy chose Crash, but one theory I have is that it was to do with the film’s merits, and the fact that it is based in L.A.

Overall, I think the Oscars this year were won by deserving candidates from a very strong field–one of which was Irishman Martin McDonagh, who scooped the best short film award for Six Shooter

On the flip side of the industry, I see that the Golden Razzies were handed out last night, and Jenny McCarthy’s film, Dirty Love, picked up the most awards. I’m thankful to say I’ve never seen it.